Japan Times – The Defense Ministry has said that it will deploy U.S.-made drones for the warning and surveillance activities of the Maritime Self-Defense Force. Aiming to strengthen surveillance in waters including the East China Sea, the ministry said Friday it plans to procure a total of 23 SeaGuardian drones over the next 10 years or so.

USNI News – The Japanese Self-Defense Force launched a new class of amphibious vessels on Tuesday to serve a new unit focused on maritime logistics to resupply and reinforce its southwestern islands.

The War Zone – U.S. Marine Corps F-35B stealth fighter has for the first time operated aboard Japan’s biggest in-service warship, the Izumo class ‘multifunctional destroyer’ Kaga. We have previously reported on the significant modifications made to this ship to ensure it can operate the short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) jets, which Japan is also acquiring. At the same time, there are signs that Japan may also be looking to expand the fixed-wing capabilities of this class of vessel, including drones and potentially other crewed platforms.

Center for Maritime Strategy – Japan’s shift toward acquiring offensive capabilities is a necessary response to the increasingly complex security environment in the Indo-Pacific. The blurred distinction between offensive and defensive capabilities, particularly in naval warfare, makes it crucial for Japan to enhance its deterrence posture. Restricting Japan’s military to purely defensive measures ignores strategic realities and risks undermining its security. To safeguard both Japanese and broader regional security, Tokyo must prioritize acquiring offensive capabilities that pave the way for effective deterrence by denial and punishment in the long term. 

War on the Rocks – The fact that Japan is a neighbor of Russia is often overlooked, especially in the West. In fact, Japan has had no land border with Russia for 79 years. But Japan has always faced Russia across the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk, and until 35 years ago was at the forefront of the Cold War in Asia. Now, as the geopolitical conflict between Russia and the West reemerges, Japan is once again on the front line.

Naval News – The French-German Research Institute of Saint-Louis (ISL) in charge of research and development for railgun technology has seen mid-April the visit of an ATLA delegation – Japanese Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency – paving the way for an agreement for further cooperation on electromagnetic gun technology.

Center for Maritime Strategy –  Japan must recognize that purely defensive technologies are insufficient to ensure its own security and uphold the rules-based regional order. To credibly deter revisionist powers armed with offensive capabilities, Japan must move beyond the flawed mindset that draws a sharp distinction between offensive defense and defensive defense and strategically shift towards the acquisition of counterstrike capabilities that can impose significant costs on potential aggressors. 

Naval News – The Ministry of Defense in Tokyo has announced the largest-ever organizational restructuring in the history of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force

Naval News – According to Japanese defense officials, the Ministry of Defense is planning to establish a new missile range in the island of Minamitorishima for the Type 12 Surface-to-Ship Missile of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force.

CIMSEC – The Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) possesses a modern and highly capable fleet, including light carriers, large AEGIS destroyers, and advanced conventional submarines which are renowned for their size and stealth. While individual Japanese naval vessels and their crews are certainly world class, Japan’s unique approach to naval industrial base strategy is often underappreciated, especially its submarine industrial base. This approach relies on three deliberate policy pillars.

USNI News – In its annual defense white paper released on Friday, Japan’s Ministry of Defense warned that the possibility of a situation similar to Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine occurring in the Indo-Pacific. Japan also again singling out China, North Korea and Russia as threats to Japan and the region.

USNI News – The Japan Self Defense Force has stationed a mobile radar system on Kita Daito Island in the Philippine Sea to expand Japan’s capabilities in the area. 

The Guardian – Yonaguni is a tourist hotspot – but its location just 100km from Taiwan means residents must wrestle with the creeping militarisation of their home.

USNI News – The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force will dispatch both its Izumo-class big decks on their largest deployment to date.

Naval News – The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) has announced that it has completed the first of a two-stage modification for its helicopter carrier JS Kaga to operate the Lockheed Martin F-35B fighter aircraft.

USNI News – The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force last week formally activated the 3rd Regiment of its Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade, a key element of Japan’s plan to defend its southwest region and the outlying islands there. Last month Japan also stood up a JGSDF electronic warfare unit on Yonaguni Island and a surface-to surface-missile unit on Okinawa – the first time this type of unit has deployed on Okinawa.

Naval News – Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will start delivering the Mk 41 vertical launching system for a planned fleet of 12 Mogami-class multirole frigate for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force in fiscal year 2024.

Naval News – The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force has commissioned the third of its Taigei-class diesel-electric attack submarines, which feature better underwater endurance than its older boats.

Wavell Room – Japan has a naval deployment in the Indian Ocean. This is a milestone for deeper Naval cooperation.

USNI News – For almost two years, Chief of the Maritime Staff Adm. Ryo Sakai has led the JMSDF, as the Japanese government pursues a historic increase to defense spending, coinciding with ongoing aggression from China and Russia in the East China Sea. Sakai sat down with USNI News for a wide-ranging interview at his office in Tokyo this summer to discuss topics ranging from collaborating with the U.S. sea services to how the Japan Self-Defense Force is preparing to integrate the fighter-capable destroyers into its fleet.

Naval News – The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force has begun sea trials of its helicopter carrier JS Kaga after undergoing major modifications of the vessel to operate the F-35B fighter jets,

Asia Times – Taigei class sub features vertical launch systems to counter possible Chinese preemptive attack and reenforce Ryukyu Island chain chokepoint

(Thanks to Alain)

Naval News – The Japanese Ministry of Defense on December 19 announced it has secured $2.59 billion for fiscal year 2024 from the Ministry of Finance to build two Aegis System Equipped Vessels, which are alternatives to Japan’s now-scrapped plan for a land-based Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense system.

Defense News – Japan, South Korea and the U.S. should mirror the AUKUS framework between Australia, the United Kingdom and the U.S. to create a multinational guided-missile destroyer construction program.

USNI News – One of Japan’s largest warships is heading to the East Coast next year to conduct a series of F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter trials next year